A Berry Ripe for the Puckin'
by BalladTheDuck
Summary: What Puck thought was a small harmless lie, snowballed into much more. There was only one person he could ask for help..Rachel Berry. Will he be able to fool the whole town, or was she what he needed all this time? Puckleberry.
1. Soiled Ground

_**Author's Note: Hey all! Thank you for choosing my story to read. This one is based off my last completed story "Party like a Rockstar". In that one, I lightly touched on the Finn/Rachel/Puck triangle. However, that story was for fun and a bit lighthearted so I didn't delve into the details. If you want, you can read it before this one but it's not nessecary.**_

_**This a story for all my Puckleberry lovers.**_

_**Prefer Finnchel (Fichel? Finchel?)? Well, I promise I will make one for you as well.**_

_**Please review and let me know what you think! The more positive reviews I get, the more I will be compelled to keep up with the writing.**_

_**Thank you.**_

The alarm shrieked into his skull early that Saturday morning. A thin sheet caressed half of his face as he awoke to the window of sunlit illuminated curtains at the edge of the room. Puck lay there, wanting to just be still and rest slightly longer.

_Screw it_

Stretching for the annoying clock, he slammed the button off with angered force. He didn't want to get up, but he had to. Summer was just around the corner and his pool cleaning skills were high in demand. After all, who was he to deny all of the hot single moms who are in need of his services?

He ran a hand across the top off his freshly cut hair. How he missed his mohawk. Puck always had trouble with the snail-like growth of his hair. To grow it back, It will take him corners of his pouty lips turned down at the thought. A sigh escaped him as he stood up and adjusted the drawstring on his grey sweatpants.

A kaleidoscope of colors snuck under the door from the living room.

_Hannah's probably watching that Wizards of Whatever again.. _

He stepped outside his room and, sure enough, that's exactly what she was doing. His little sister had on her pink pajamas with the kittens all over the pants and slightly grayed socks from picking up the dirt on the floor. She looked up at him as he entered.

" Why did you get that thing? It looks nasty." She bit on her nails and pointed to his nipple ring.

He glanced down quickly, forgetting it was even there. " Because, Munchkin..Mom says I can't get a tattoo because it's permanent. I can still be a rockstar this way."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed at him before pulling her concentration back to the T.V. screen.

The Puckster had better things to do than sit and talk with his annoying sister. The bellow of his stomach called to him. He needed some morning fuel. Without hesitation, he walked through the archway to his right, pulling open the door to the wooden cabinet above his head. The box inside made him grin slyly.

"Come to papa, you Irish midget." There was still enough in the box to fill a bowl or two...Perfect. Milk, 2 percent, was already on the table. Hannah probably had some and forgot to put it back. Spoons were all placed meticulously in the drawer next to him.

"Bowls..Bowls..Where the fuck..." Puck grew more and more frusrated with each second he couldn't find one. An guttural groan drew up from his throat. With a look at the Lucky Charms, he shrugged. He'll do this the clever way. Tilting his head back, he opened his mouth and crammed a handful of marshmallows in it. As he twisted open the cap on the quart size milk bottle and took it too his lips, a loud smack on the back of his head interrupted his process.

"Mm!" He moaned in anger and turned to his mother.

" Don't you look at me like that, Noah Puckerman!" She pointed and raised her voice before bending over and taking a bowl out of the dishwasher, " Now sit your tuckus down. Only animals eat standin' up." She patted his bottom and he silently walked over to the small linoleum table across the room.

Mrs. Puckerman poured herself a cup of coffee. Stirring the sugar in, she began.

" So uh.." Her body was turned away as she spoke, " Quinn called. She's grabbing the last of her things tonight." Quinn Fabray had been living with the Puckermans for the last three months on account of her being pregant. Her family was none too happy about the news and kicked her out. After it was revealed the child was Puck's and not his best friend's, who happened to be Quinn's boyfriend, neither was Finn's mom Carol. The dissapointment spread over to Puck's mother when he offered her his room. She was infuriated. It was already hard enough to support two children on her waitressing jobs. Now, two more mouths to feed? As much as she loved the thought of being a grandmother, the bad outweighed the good in this situation.

Puck watched his cereal get soggy as the thoughts in his mind wandered. He and Finn had slowly made up after the rift came between them. He had wanted so badly to regain the friendship. Why not the romance between Quinn as well? Every time he tried to be the good guy, she was always so unresponsive towards him. He went out of his way to show her what a good father he was going to be to their girl. How stupid could he be? She wants to rid herself of the child. Of the one connection they have left towards one another.

" Noah?" His mother sat down across from him, her mug in both hands.

" Hmm?" He still gazed into the colored milk and mushy marshmallows.

" Look, I know this isn't easy..But you did the right thing. Now, both of you can move on with your lives. Believe me, parenting is a full time job. You don't want no part of it. You'd end up regretting it and trying to do all you can to escape your life."

Puck mumbled something under his breath and started to walk away.

" If you've got something to say, Noah, say it so I can hear it."

His shoulders tensed.

" I said 'I'm not my dad'. Now stop telling me I made the right choice. I had no choice. No one cares what I want. I don't want what's best for me. I want to be a man!" He tried to quell his anger but it came in and out like waves lapping at sea.

" Is that anyway to talk to your mother? Givin' me that tone. Y'know, if you had thought the whole thing through, you wouldn't even've been in this mess you're in..."

_Fuck this_

Pucked roiled in his rage. Why didn't anyone at least try to see his point of view? He couldn't dwell on the past, he just wanted to know he gave his daughter the father he never had. He didn't need a lesson, or a lecture..He needed support.

He needed to leave. Needed to be alone and find his own way..

and before he could even realize what he was doing, he was out the door.


	2. Time of the Season

**Thanks for the patience guys. I'm super busy being a full time college student with extracurricular activities, two plays, and all that jazz. I'm actually suprised I got done with this chapter. lol. I did a breakdown of all the chapters i'm making and this fic is gonna be a long one..So, I hope your here for the ride. Just a refresher, this is after the episode "Funk" and will be slightly different than the show's version due to it being based off my previous fic, "Party like a Rockstar, Kick a little.." and because I didn't want to repeat a bunch of chapters that would be quoting the "Journey" episode. Obviously, if I did that, Finn and Rachel would be a couple..Why have that when you can have this? Anyway..There are a few curse words, that's pretty much everything that would offend anyone. Please read and review. I work hard on my fics (suprising I know lol) and would really appreciate the support. Thank you!**

Puck was mindlessly driving around in his rusty pickup truck that morning. Where he was going, he wasn't sure. Frankly, he didn't care. Maybe he was trying to leave his legacy. The legacy of being a dead beat parent with no future. Everytime he tried to run from his father's mistakes, they caught up with him. He was like a bad stench that stuck to his skin.

He glanced around the road he was driving on. The corner of Jackson and Humboldt. He seemed to always guide himself to this part of town when he needed a sanctuary. This was the one place he could always be welcome.

As he drove down Jackson for a little less than a minute, he arrived. Puck parked in the gravely space next to the sign " Greenway Park".

All he heard was the chirping of birds and children playing on the swings in the distance. About 30 yards away, he saw it. His haven. The large twisted oak. The leaves were slightly yellowed from the harsh summer sun but it still maintained it's wisdom and majesty. Puck ascended up the hill and patted the trunk with a smile. Without a second thought, he grabbed a small stone and briskly shot it atop of the water's surface. It only skipped once before plunking below.

"Tch!" He hissed at himself in dissaproval. Bending over to grab another stone, he stopped. A feeling came over him. Was someone watching him? He turned his body to search for a sign of spectators.

Nothing.

Just then, a vibration went off in his pocket. Someone had called and left a voicemail asking him to clean out his pool.

_Might as well do something today.. _he thought.

He had already knew the street the house was on so there wouldn't be a problem navigating the area. His attire, however, arose a problem. Subconsiously, he slid on his black flip flops that were beside the front door but he was still shirtless. A woman might have not minded his outfit, but no man was going to see the Puckster's nipples. For some reason, imagining guys checking out his chest made him uncomfortable. He looked behind his driver's seat. Bingo. A dingy white tshirt was balled up on the floor of the backseat. It wasn't clean. It smelled funny. But it would do for now. He unrolled the top over his body and jumped back into his car.

He captured one more glance down by the lake before he drove off.

The guy whose pool he cleaned was very gracious. Also, he was very rich. He hired Puck on short notice for a party later that night. One, Puck believed, would be a mingling of the social elite. After doing his usual buisness whilst admiring the heated indoor pool and matching hot tub with jets, the man gave him three crisp hundred dollar bills. Trying his hardest not to let his eyes bug out of his head, he thanked the man and left.

_Holy shit fuck! Three hundred dollars!_

Sliding the three papers into his wallet, Puck took once last bewildered glance at them before folding it back into his pocket.

_Oh my god. Wait until Finn hears this._

_..Finn.._

Puck wasn't sure at this point how his former best friend felt about him. It was like, him not being in his life was the same as his arm being cut off. You can still feel the ghost-like air of what was, but as soon as you reach for it, you then realize it's really gone.

"Damn it!" He thrusted a palm into his steering wheel. Why must everything fall apart now? His best friend, was now former. The one girl he thought he actually might have feelings for was doing all she could to eradicate him. His soon-to-be born daughter would never know him. His mohawk was gone. Even his late night booty call Santana Lopez was ignoring his calls. He probably just made his mom cry. That would suck. He hated to see her cry. Honestly, he hated to see any woman cry. Especially when a douche bag boyfriend is involved.

He gripped his hands on the wheel until his knuckles became white. The memory came back to him. Long brown hair curtained her sobbing face as she scuttled her feet onto the sidewalk pavement. Oblivious to his calls from the school parking lot.

_"Hey, Rachel!"_

Rachel?

"Well fuck me.." He hissed. He remembered it as if it was yesterday..

Because it was yesterday.

She thanked Puck and Finn for being so protective after Jesse egged her.

Jesse

How he hated him.

He always did, though. He hated his stupid face. His stupid clothes. His stupid hair. His arrogance. That way he would look at Rachel like some slimy perv. That look of longing. Puck shuddered in disgust. He wanted it, and he got it. Everyone had heard the stories about Rachel losing her virginity to the guy. Why him? Him of all people?

_I don't even know why I'm even bothered by it.. _Puck stopped himself, brushing off any uneeded emotions. Besides, there were no emotions involved when it came to Rachel Berry. I mean, she's loud, bossy, whiny, and she wouldn't even get naked for him the first day. Seriously, what the point? Puckzilla is not putting his libido on hold for a wierdo who's obsessed with gold stars and sequined leg warmers.

Knowing his had to focus his attention elsewhere, he dialed a number into his cellphone, trying with all his might not to keep his eyes off the road for too long.

" Hey. Mercedes? It's Puck...Yeah listen, are you doing anything right now?" The muffled sound of the closeted diva could be heard inside the truck.

" Well, when you're done with that, could you come down to the pizza parlor on Main? We need to talk."


	3. Decisons, Decisons

" So," Mercedes steepled her fingers together and shrugged indecisively, "What's up?" She knew this wasn't a casual hangout. Puck had something important to say, and she was all ears.

Shifting weight from one side of the booth to the other, he gulped a large breath before begining, " Look. I'm not a bad guy. Sure, I like shoving dweebs in lockers and striking fear into people. That's my bread and butter, but I never meant to hurt Quinn-"

" You knocked her up and harrassed her into dating you."

" What? No! I..."

Puck was about to shout at her, but held it in. He stared at the painting of Italy, trying to cool his anger. Mercedes took a sip at her coke, studying his face. He was suffering. She could tell. His eyes, at that moment, could've pierced glass.

" I hate to tell you this, but I think she's still in love with Finn. I can tell by the way she talks about him," She stirred the drink with her straw, letting out an exasperated groan.

" God, it's so unfair. Everything I've ever wanted; the quarterback position, the solos, the girls," He crossed his arms and leaned back," Finn gets everything and I get the fucking shaft!" An elderly couple turned to glare at him in distaste. Mercedes tried not to choke on her soda.

Brushing her long dark hair to one side of her face, she replied, " Hey, you're my light skinned brutha. You and I both know, Quinn's stubborn. You'll never change her mind. She's moved on. I suggest you do the same..." The young server came and placed the pepperoni pizza and garlic bread on the table.

" Well, I think she's being stupid. I mean, we all know Finn's into.." His eyes bugged out of his head. The name alone was enough to scare him.

Mercedes grin was disgustingly full of riducule even before she opened her lips. "Uhh. How frightening could she be? You dated her too, as I recall."

" That was different-"

"How so?"

" Well, It-" He stammered, " It's the same reason I dated you." He dipped his pizza crust into some marinara sauce. Reminising on the day he asked Mercedes out to get his popularity back in swing.

A loud cackle cried out of her.

" Yeah. Right. Because when I think of canidates for Prom Queen, Rachel Berry just tops the list." She kept laughing as if it were the most ludicrious thing she had ever heard herself say out loud.

" C'mon. Stop...People can hear you." He whispered, leaning in, "Let's just drop the subject and pronto..Please." He picked a frosty glass of grape soda to his lips, licking the remaining drops off.

Mercedes eyes lingered on him. If only she could gauge his emotions. She felt his resistance to the subject of Rachel was more so than usual.

_I wonder..._

"Okay. Consider subject dropped. Let's eat."

After their meal and warm conversation, Puck walked Mercedes to his beat up truck. He let his body be supported by it's slightly rusted frame and let out a small groan.

"You sure you don't need a ride home?" He rubbed the back of his neck.

" Nah, It's cool. I'll call my mom. We don't live that far away." She tucked her hands into her front pockets and twisted her torso slightly from side to side.

Squinting and looking away,he breathed deep, enlarging his chest." Yeah well, don't expect me to do you any more favors."

He strutted closer to the driver's side window before turning back to look at his plump female friend.

"Mercedes?" He caught her attention and locked eyes with her before finally making his request, "Just.." He stumbled on his words whilst fiddling with his keychain, " Take care of Quinn..Please."

Solemly, she nodded as he revved his truck and left.

He drove back to that oh-so-familiar abode of his. A small, rusty shack on wheels. This was what he called home. The sun was a golden red nestled atop the horizon behind the backyard lawn. The shingles were chipped in a color Puck could only describe as 'band aid' matched with dirty off-white window paneling.

_What a shithole.. _ Puck couldn't help but to say to himself as smelled the pits of the old dingy shirt he put on. He cringed.

_How could Mercedes have not smelled that? Or maybe she did and was trying to be nice.._

"Noah Isaiah Puckerman, you get in here!"

_Oh hell..Freaking Psychomom is raging.._

"Now!" She slammed the front door furiously. He jumped, hoping no one saw him. Slowly, he shuffled his feet to the house, knowing what would come next, and fearing for his life.

" You think that was funny, you shmendrik? Running off and leavin' your poor old motha? I swear boy, you got a screw loose in your head.." and she was off. This was typical of her. When she got mad, she would lecture and when she lectured, she started picking up Granny Esther's voice. It was like the ghost of her mother possessed her. Grandmother was from the old country so she used to use all kinds of slang. Sometimes it was quite amusing to hear, but not this time.

" Mom..Ma..M-Mom!" He was finally able to shout over her voice. The familiar feeling of her hand swung upside his head.

" What the-?"

" That's what you get for running off on me." She bit her lip raw and pointed to him. A wispy shudder, like tattered paper, came from her throat. " I mean, I tried to raise you right. Give you the things I always hoped for you. I couldn't always..but I tried..." She desperately grabbed onto his shirt and grazed and hand over his cheek, " God only knows how hard I tried. All I ever wanted was the best for you. Find a good job. Meet a nice, Jewish girl. Have a family.. Live a good better than I gave you."

Her body slouched onto the loveseat.

" I guess I'm just a bad mother.." Hot tears ran down her face. She looked up at him. Dark frizzy hair framed her face. Puck couldn't bear to see his mother like this. So torn and helpless. If he could have gone back in time at that very moment and chose not to have sex with Quinn, he would've. In a heartbeat. But he couldn't change what had already happened. He had to change the present. What could he do? What could he say to quell her tears?

" But I did meet a Jewish girl." Before he could stop, he said it.

" Really?" His mother's red rimmed eyes traced his.

He scratched his forearm and veered his gaze down to the dark carpet.

" Yeah...Um..We're dating now. She's great."

Her slightly aged face looked more vital than ever as it lit up. She took her arms and wrapped them around his broad shoulders, squeezing.

" Oh Noah. You don't know how happy that makes me!" One hand lifted and held the back of his head kindly, " I'd love to meet her sometime."

His mind went blank when he tried to think of ways to take back what he just said..She was happy. Truly happy. How could he take this feeling away from her. He can't.

" I'll see when she's free."

" Oh honey. I knew someday you would make me proud." His mother pulled away from him, grinning ear to ear. She turned to grab the half full basket of laundry. Snapping her fingers, she said, " Noah, take that nasty shirt off. I can smell it from across the room."


	4. A Bunch of Tools

**To begin, Thank you so much for your kind words! The reviews, favoriting..all that good junk makes me happy as a clam. I hope to gain more readers and entertain you on the way. The more readers I get, the more motivated I become to update.**

**This chapter has a little bit of bad language and a good amount of sexual references..Don't say I didn't warn you!**

Puck closed the door to his bedroom, frantically pacing back and forth. His mind wandered in panic.

_What the hell did I just do? _he seemed to scream inside his brain. He told his mother,who was on the verge on hysterical sobbing, that he has a Jewish girlfriend. The Puckster is one above all things, a bachelor. The only instances in which he dates girls..Well, let's just say he doesn't have the purest of intentions. I mean, he has his go-to woman Santana..

_Santana..That's right. I'll call her. _

As he rapidly finds her in his contacts, he listens to a few rounds a dial tone before a response.

" Wassup?" She purred from the other line.

" Santana..I need you right now." He dropped the volume of his voice several notches.

He could hear the smile from her voice, " You don't have to clarify that to me. Come on over. Ernesto's at work and Connie's sleeping." She always referred to her parents by their first names, " Hopefully this time, no one hears us."

A silence dropped on his throat like a sandbag. The thought was tempting..Real tempting.

He could not believe he was saying this.

" No. I mean, I was hoping you would help me with something else." A pause broke before he asked quietly into his phone.

" Could you pretend to be my jewish girlfriend?"

The lack of sound that followed tore at Puck's nervousness. Santana let out a sigh.

" Seriously? Do you think your mom is that stupid? How would I explain that?" Refering to her obvious hispanic ethnicity.

" I dunno. Be a religious Jew...Say your parents converted or something."

" Let me put this in simpler terms for you.." He could hear her sheets crumpling as she sat up.

" I needs to get mah swerve on! I don't want to go out with you. I don't even want to pretend to go out with you. The only reason I talk to you in public is because you're the only person hot enough to be seen with in this town. So no, I will not pretend anything around you unless it's an orgasm. We clear, dear?"

"Fine! Forget I asked!" He hissed before ending the call.

_Ok..So, Santana's out. Who next?_

_What about Mercedes?_

_Nah. Too black._

_Tina? Cohen sounds like a kind of Jewish name, I guess. It could work...If I had a way to reach her. Also would help if she weren't dating that crippled dork._

_Hmm..Brittany, perhaps?_

He took a gander at his yearbook as it nestled between a pile of binders and various other books, being reminded of when she spelled her name wrong...and on the wrong person's picture.

_No._

_Just...No._

"How many Jewish girls live in this town?" He asked himself aloud.

As he sorted out the names in his head of women he knew, he kept meeting

dead end after dead end. He began flipping through the pages of his "little black book" frantically searching for a name that sprung to mind.

Then it dawned on him.

He had the page right in his sights. In the very back of that year's McKinley Thunderclap was one whole page with her name written on it.

No seriously, her name was written all over it.

"Noah, it's been nice getting further aquainted with you these pasts months. Someday hopefully, when my star is laid within the sidewalks of Hollywood Boulevard, you will look back at the first time you heard me sing and remember how you believed my talent would surpass this small town and bring me to my first Emmy nomination..."

Christ, even in writing this girl is annoying.

"When this happens, please keep in touch.

Best Regards,

Rachel Berry"

She put a sticker of a gold star next to her name. Below that was a telephone number.

Well problem solved. Puck found himself a Jew. Another problem arose:

It was Rachel Berry.

A knock rapped at his door.

"Dinner's ready."

"Y-yeah. Be there in a minute." He replied, keeping his eyes glued to the number.

He had to do it. What other choice was there to make?

With an uneasy hand, he picked up the phone, slowly dialing.

The first ring began. With every second he had his ear to the reciever, his heartbeat quickened.

What the hell was he nervous for? Cool it, Puckerman.

One more ring sounded off before he heard a shuffling noise on the other side.

" Hello?" Crap. She actually awnsered. What now? Say something funny. No, she thinks you're a dick.

"Hello?" She repeated with emphasis on the question.

"Um, hi. Rachel?" He wanted to make sure, just in case.

"Yes?" She drew out the word as if she was unsure of herself.

"Yeah, um, hi. It's Puck."

Silence.

"Y'know. From Glee Club?"

"I'm well aware, Puckerman. I just didn't think you'd ever call me." There was a sound to her voice at the end. Excitement? Psshh! Nah.

"Yeah, well the reason i'm calling you is.." Hmm..He couldn't tell her the truth. She'd never go for it. 'Hey Rachel. Could you please pretend to be my girlfriend?' Yeah. Like that would ever work, " Well, you see. I wanted to go over some vocals and all that good junk..and, seeing as your always telling me what to do, I thought, 'Who would be better to help me than Rachel Berry?' "

Another break of silence.

"So...Whaddaya say?"

A small noise came through the phone. A sigh, a moan maybe?

"Well, we are in need of good male voices if we plan to beat out Vocal Adrenaline this upcoming semester. I always like to start off training the minute I get out for the summer. Less time on academics equals more time for singing."

"You know, I couldn't agree more." He smiled all chummy, hoping she wouldn't notice the wave of bullshit in his voice, "Which is why I have a song prepared."

The sound of a quick laugh jabbed through like flying glass, "Prepared? You?"

"Mhhmm.."

"...I see." Her breath once again making noise through the phone, "Well, hopefully this sign of initiative implies that you are willing to make improvements in order to keep up with me." Her voice became like a well pressed suit, stiff and serious.

"Oh, I can do more than keep up. You'll see." Hey, he couldn't help it. She left that statement wide out in the open.

"Okay then. How's tommorrow?" She either didn't register the innuendo or just simply chose to ignore it.

"The sooner the better."

"Be aware that I can be quite dominant when it comes to my personal opinions. I always prefer to be the one on top of all activities. If I tell you my honest critique you will just have to take it. I don't care if it takes all night. You understand?"

_Damn, is she fucking with me right now?_

"Oh, and don't pull out on me. I don't need another mess on my hands because you couldn't keep your head in the game."

Maybe it was just hormones but this was sounding really, really dirty. Godamn! So many comments he could make right now. Puck could go 'That's what she said' at this very moment.

"Uh..Sure. You got my number now so call me tommorrow whenever you get the time, kay?"

"Very well then. See you around."

"Later." With no second to spare he hung the phone up. One look down at his trousers and anyone could see what he was thinking. It's all cool. Girls get him like that all the time. Rachel just said some things and he took it another way. No big deal.

His stomach began to growl. Loudly. Everytime he began to go outside his room, his 'happy little friend' stopped him.

_Dammit, those chili dogs smell good..Why did this have to happen, now of all times?_

All Puck knew now was that he had a boner.

And it was all Rachel Berry's fault.


	5. Dig

**Hello all! Good news! I have finished another semester of college so that means, more time to write. YAY! *does happy dance***

**Anyway, here's a new chapter for you lovelies. This one is pretty tame. It's got some light cursing and that's about it. It's not all that innapropriate compared to the next ones *snickers* **

**Let me know what you think. Please and thank you.**

On the very next day, Puck grabbed his CD, phone, and breath spray (hey, it's always nice to be prepared, right?) before taking his battle worn pickup truck to vocalize with Rachel Berry.

Vocalize? Riiight. If this was going to be anything like the last time he went to Rachel's house, the sounds were going to be a whole lot different if you know what I mean. Sure, he never really got that far with her, but that didn't mean anything. He could have bedded her anytime he wanted. It was just...Well...He wasn't that desperate is all.

At least that's what he told all the guys in the locker room.

This was the third time that Puck was visiting Rachel at her house. Everytime he did, something would come close to happening between them. The last time he came over, Rachel asked him to participate in a special tape. Which at first sounded sexy.

It wasn't. That music video was crap on top of more crap. I mean, he expected it to not be that great, but then he wasn't even the male lead like Rachel had promised. Puckerama had to share the spotlight with both Finn and Jesse.

Ugh. Jesse..How he hated him.

I mean, sure, Rachel's annoying, pretentious, rude, she wears those wierd..thingys, her constant talking makes everyone around her want to jump off a cliff...Where was he going with this?

Anyways, Puck sure as hell knows no one, no matter how terrible of a personality they have, deserves what she got.

_Whatever, stop thinking about it, already.._

From the corner of his eye, he saw that oh-so-familiar front view.

There was a lush green lawn with a pathway made of small pure white pebbles and a concrete fountain in the center. Along the front of the home were green emaculately pruned square hedges that came up to his waist. He could deny it all he wanted but he had to admit, deep down, these gay dudes got some serious style.

The wooden door was already open but the white screen door had been closed when he drove up. Maybe she had already seen him come up the driveway. Maybe not. She could be in her room upstairs. That was always a possibility.

Puck walked in the sea of white rocks. The sound of them crunching underneath his black sneakers. Even above that sound, music coming from inside. It was nothing he had heard before..It sounded like some modern jazz easy listening or whatever the hell it's called.

He looked to his left where the entertainment center was and the direction of the music. No one.

As he turned his head, there she was. It was as if she just appeared out of thin air.

"Did I scare you?" She smiled through the screen with a glint of wickedness in her eye.

"Hardly." He responded as she opened the door for him, "What the heck is playing?" pointing to the stereo, Puck asked with a slight tone out of frustration.

"Michael Buble." She awnsered bluntly.

_Never heard of him_.

He silently nodded, his lower lip protruding momentarily. With a deep breath and a slow rotation of his head, he took the whole first floor in. Nothing had really changed since the last time he was here. Same wine colored carpeting. Same juniper bonsai on the end table next to the half wall by the kitchen. Same old same old.

When Puck glanced down at Rachel next to him, her eyes immedeatly darted to one side of the room. "So," She gingerly tugged on the bottom of her salmon colored cardigan, "My dad's are out at the moment. They're just going to pick up some things at the store." She continued, closing the front door quietly.

"Probably knew I was coming."

Rachel then cleared her throat. "No. I actually forgot to mention you were visting."

"What's wrong, Berry?" His neck craned down bringing his forehead only an inch away from hers, "Afraid they wouldn't leave their little Jewish princess in the hands of a bad influence like me?" He grinned, searching into her eyes for a response.

Despite the fact that Buble was filling the room, it was almost gone unoticed. Puck's ears felt hot with..Well, he wasn't quite sure why he felt hot. Then again, his palms felt a bit moist. Must be the summer heat. Rachel looked at the carpet then back up to his face before subconciously biting her lower lip. What he would gave to read her thoughts. Her pauses made him uneasy. What was going on in that little neurotic brain of hers?

Putting a hand up to his chest, she turned away,

"Not at all. It just slipped my mind before they left. It doesn't matter anyway. My dads are always trusting of me to do the right thing..." She motioned with a hand for him to follow her. As they walked up the stairs to her bedroom, his eyes -like velcro- attached to her houndstooth skirt.

_Holy mother of God, that skirt is crazy short! I bet if she bent over, I could see her panties..I wonder what they look like. Probably those granny types that come up to the bellybutton. No patterns either. Just a plain solid color. I'm betting on white...What's wrong with you? Focus, Puckerman!_

As the two reached the peak of the second floor, Rachel turned to look over at Puck, face full of skepticism.

"What?" He snapped. Feeling the guilt of his wandering eyes.

Rachel smiled and shook her head. "Nothing, I was just..Thinking, is all." She stood next to her door. It was donned with the word 'Rachel' and a gold glittery star juxtaposed above it. She kept drifting her eyes up to his and down to the floor, unable to keep his smoldering gaze.

"Thinking 'bout what?" He leaned against the doorway whilst she fiddled with the doorknob.

For a moment, she was still and quiet like a summer lake. Her hands clasped the handle. She stood there, wheels turning.

"Well, I.." after about two seconds of nothing, that oh-so-familiar sound she made over the phone came. It was kind of like a breathy 'um..' or maybe an exasperated sigh. Puck wasn't really sure, either way. Without a second thought, he took his hand and placed it over hers. The girl who was usually quite chatty, now had nothing to say. She just peered over her thick brown lashes. First looming her sights over his hand, then up to his face. She studied everything. His bristled dark hairline, his slightly indented temples down to his hazel eyes and his gentle lips. She felt his fingers move. A click and push opened the door.

"We, better get to practicing.." He putting his hands in his jean pockets and shrugged.

Rachel blinked, dumbfounded.

"Um..Yeah." She quickly nodded and walked into her room.

Puck followed, closing the door behind him.

What happened in that room that day, neither of them will ever forget..


	6. Berried Beneath Me

**Author's Note :Ok to start off, this chapter is the hardest one I've done thus far. Please be gentle..**

**There is a little bit of language in this. Also light sexuality. Nothing smutty (yet). Also songfic. Yep. It's Glee so, I put I song in here. Booya!**

**More notes after the chapter. Read on my darlings! Read on!**

Once the bedroom door fully closed, Rachel began her usual overzealous banter

" Okay. Now that we are situated, I think that it is best to lay down some ground rules. First and foremost-I understand that you have brought your own music but I would like to start off first with a song that I believe will brew you in the the best balladeer and duet master imaginable. Which is why.." She pranced over to her case of CD's-all organized by alphabetization, genre, and year-with fervor," I chose this" Beaming a light of joy from her pearlescent white teeth, she revealed the booklet.

"No! That crap is lame and I'm not doing it."

"Well excuse me! But this is one of the world's most classic and beautiful duets. Everyone knows it, it's timeless!"

"My mom listens to Cher all the time. Trust me, if I could turn back time, I would make it so that she never owned the CD. It would've saved me a whole lot of nights of sleeping."

Rachel was suprised by Puckerman's subconsious. It seemed to like the legendary diva more than he would want anyone to think.

"Just let me try my song, my way. If you don't like it...We can nix it."

Puck assumed she wouldn't like it but he was on a whole different mission entirely. He shuddered at the thought but it had to be done. By the end of the day, Rachel would be his. Then, he could take her to his mother for dinner. After that..Well, he hadn't planned that far. Probably just dump her and then tell his mom the bad news and hopefully he can put this small fluke behind him.

"Anyways, as promised, I am keeping up with my solemn oath to myself to perform songs sung only by Jewish artists. This one just happens to be a fairly new track."

Puck looked over and the conservatively dressed girl. She looked at the title and frowned.

" Puckerman, do you expect me to sing this...This..I don't even know what it is but it certainly can't be better than what I had in mind," Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and groaned, "I don't even know why I let you over in the first place. Must've been out of my mind.."

It was obvious that he needed to pull some charismatic shit to get the ball rolling.

_Okay Pucky Puck. This is your moment to shine. Just think like Rachel and you'll have her.._

"Well, y'know, we've never sung together..Not just us, I mean. I just thought since you're so talented, I could learn something from you. Think about it. We need to see if we have chemistry.."

She looked up at him from the edge of the bed.

"Y'know, like, musical chemistry. Let's face it, if we don't know how to play off of each other strengths and downplay each other's weaknessess, we'll never get placed for Regionals. We need to be an unstoppable force if we want to topple the other teams."

_Holy shit, I'm sounding like Rachel! This is creepy..Okay Puck, time to move in.._

"Deny it all you want, but you need me as much as I need you."

Looking into the far distance for just long enough to make a quick decision, she nodded, "Okay..Play the track."

Puck rubbed his hands together and turned to the pink bedazzled boombox on her dresser drawers.

"Wait!" Rachel held out a hand and stood right as he was about to press play. "How do you want to do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you want me to just stand here or.." She made gestures with her hands, " act it out? I find that the best performances are laden with intricate choreography that tells the story alongside the lyrics. If you need me to plan some-"

"Relax, Rachel, relax." _God, she's fucking annoying. I can't believe i'm getting myself into this. Why am I smiling? Oh, right, 'cause her neurotic impulses are so damn funny.._

"Look, I'll do my awesome thing and you just go with the flow. You don't even have to really do anything except sing the girl parts. Just..stand over there by the wall or something."

"Uh..How is that going to help?"

Puck couldn't help it. His smile became devilish and wicked just thinking about his plans, "You'll see."

Although skeptical, she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms while resting her body against the wall while he pushed the play button.

The music started coming in through the speakers. He slipped on a pair of mirrored aviators from his back pocket. They set the mood for the song and made him look badass, he thought. He turned to look at Rachel and started to sing.

_**I make them good girls go**_

_**I make them good girls go bad**_

Puck slowly walked over to her, with each step and line, Rachel's pulse began to rise. She didn't know what he was about to do and that just made her all the more nervous.

_**I make them good girls go**_

_**I make them good girls go**_

_**Good girls go bad **_

He planted his body in front of her, pinning his hands to the wall. His face drew in near to hers, lips barely brushing her ear as he continued,

_**I know your type  
You're daddy's little girl  
Just take a bite  
Let me shake up your world  
'Cause just one night couldn't be so wrong  
I'm gonna make you lose control**_

Frantic, Berry crouched on her knees and held onto his outer thighs for balance before slipping through the gaps and walked next to her bedpost. Her face flushed red after realizing how innapropriately close it was to his junk. Hopefully this wasn't going the leave the room. She couldn't bear anyone to think that way about her. Rachel Berry, on her knees groping Puckerman..her nose almost touching the tip of his penis. To top it all off, the lyrics didn't help. It just added to the story..and to think, she was worried that it wouldn't look convincing.

_**She was so shy  
Till I drove her wild **_

_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad  
**_

_**You were hanging in the corner  
With your five best friends  
You heard that I was trouble  
But you couldn't resist  
**_

_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad  
Good girls go bad  
**_  
Now it was Rachel's turn. She was gonna let him have it..Vocally, of course.

_**I know your type  
Boy, you're dangerous  
Yeah, you're that guy  
I'd be stupid to trust  
**_

_**But just one night couldn't be so wrong  
You make me wanna lose control **_

_Curse these lyrics! _She thought as Puck moved in on her, backing her up onto the edge of the bed. Rachel tumbled but he managed to grab her by the small of her back just before she hit the mattress.

_**She was so shy  
Till I drove her wild**_

As he sang the chorus, his body ascended ontop of hers. He hands took a hold of her wrists and lifted her arms so that they lay crossed above her head. 

_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad**_

He held onto her tiny soft hands but she didn't fight back.

_**I was hanging in the corner  
With my five best friends  
I heard that you were trouble  
But I couldn't resist  
I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad  
Good girls go bad  
Good girls go bad **_

While they sang, Puck's lips came dangerously close to her's. She flinched. He got off the bed, pulling her up and spinning her around as if she were the prom queen.

_**Oh, she got a way with the boys in the place  
Treat 'em like they don't stand a chance **_

_**And he got a way with the girls in the back  
Acting like they're too hot to dance  
**_

She giggled, playfully pushing him away.

_**Yeah, she got a way with the boys in the place  
Treat 'em like they don't stand a chance **_

_**And he got a way with the girls in the back  
Acting like they're too hot to dance **_

_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
make them good girls go  
The good girls go bad, yeah  
Good girls go bad  
**_

_**I was hanging in the corner  
With my five best friends  
I thought that you were trouble  
But I couldn't resist  
**_

_**I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad  
Good girls go bad  
Good girls go bad**_

Neither of them knew how it happened but in between the final stanza of the song, they ended up in an embrace. Puck's arms were wrapped around her waist. Rachel was facing away from him covering his arms with hers, head turned towards his. Both were panting heavily on each other.

_What just happened?_

_What the fuck just happened?_

The whole moment felt awkward and at the same time..Real nice. Sure, Rachel had fun singing with Finn before, but not like this. Finn had always been a mechanical type of performer, just as she was. It was all premeditated and no instinct. This, however, was different. She couldn't pinpoint how..She just knew.

"So.." The usually talkative diva began, prying his fingers away from her body, "That was..Not half bad." She focused away from him, rebuttoning her cardigan.

" Are you kidding me? That was hot..Speaking of which, you mind if I take this off?" He pulled up the sleeves of his olive green henley.

She nodded, turning away as he pulled his shirt off and turning back towards him. Revealing a white tank secretly underneath.

"Thanks. So anyway.." He balled up the garment onto the floor, lowering himself on the pink quilted bed, " I think this proves something."

"And what exactly would that be?" She sat down next to him.

"That this-You and me, that is-is meant to be. Face it, our Jewish ancestors have spoken. They're saying 'Hey, you both are hot Jews. Now go make beautiful music together.'"

Rachel eyes fluttered open and closed like frantic butterflies. She knew that this new feeling from performing with Puck was unlike any other she felt before. But then again, the first time singing with someone new is always exhilarating. This wasn't _that_ different from others. On the other hand, it's not like Finn had ever sung her into bed before...Not that Puck was arousing her in any way. No. I mean, this is Puck after all. He's the biggest jerk at McKinley High. Sure, they had a short fling going on but nothing ever came of it. Nothing has, is, or ever will come of it.

"I'm sure our Jewish forefathers and mothers have much more valuable things to do than be concerned about some singing competition.."

The badassed one shook his head followed by a laugh. "Rachel.." She looked up at him, dying for response.

"You know that's not what I meant.."

Her eyes locked onto his lips. His soft deep pink lips. She remembered everything about them. Puck was always a good kisser. One of the best. Sure, she didn't have that many kisses to compare to before him but enough to make a fair comparision. She didn't have that many after, either. I mean, it had been a long time since the two of them were together in her room. Not many guys came to her house to see her. In fact, most got her address just so they could throw toliet paper on the lawn. Last time she was in on her bed with another guy, she and Jesse were..

_Jesse.._

"Wait!" She pulled herself away from his magnetism.

"Something wrong?"

Coming back down to earth, Rachel was frazzled before coming up with the words.

"Listen Noah...You are asthetically pleasing...,very charismatic but..I can't do this."

Puck bit his lip and groaned.

_Shit. _

He took another deep breath in, thinking of what to say.

"It's cool." Was the first thing that came to mind. He then patted her leg and stood up.

"W-Hold up. What are you doing?"

"Going home. What does it look like?"

"But-" Rachel bit her tongue.

To be frank, her whole back-and-forth attitude was offputting so even the slightest sound from him was full of frustration "Yeah?"

"Could you stay a bit longer? To..You know..Go over some other songs? I have an estimated 53 suggestions for next year's sectionals."

"Rach, for real." He raised his tone. Startled, she dropped her emergency folder for solos specifically geared towards her voice,

"I get it and..Whatever. I'm not mad." Puck wasn't an idiot. He'd made out with plenty of freshly dumped women before. In fact, sometimes he went searching for them. However, something about this didn't feel right. But why this time? He was starting to feel lightheaded. Assumptiously, Puck saw it as lack of food and all the dancing in a room that didn't feel like it had A/C in it at all. I mean, seriously, where's the fan?

"I just.." The room was engrained in his memory just like this. Years back he would imagine being in this room. Seeing it as he saw it at this very moment. Seeing it as an extension of her. A thought popped into his mind. One so peculiar, he had to stash it away and pretend it never came to be.

"I gotta go."

Before Berry could even register to blink, he was gone. It was that fast.

She sighed, throwing her upper body onto the bed. Maybe she should go after him. No, that wouldn't be nessecarry. This is probably just usual behavior for Puck. He was just finding a way to get away. He always does. Still, it was peculiar. All that tension..All that heat and then..

_Oh crud, I forgot to turn on the fan again.._

Rachel began mentally beating herself up for forgetting about it. No wonder he wanted to leave, the place was melting. Now it was much, much cooler. The fan was working wonders immedeately.

As she walked around the perimeter of her room, a soft lumpy texture ws pillowed underneath her feet. It was Puck's shirt. He had forgotten it when he was being wierd and ditching the practice. The slim girl picked it up. It was hot and barely damp with sweat. Gross.

_Thank goodness he's gone now. In all honestly, Noah Puckerman? What was I thinking letting him come over?He's a pig! He has the nerve to disrespect the good name of both Sonny AND Cher and all that..grinding. How obscene. All the rubbing up against me and breathing in my ear..Ugh! _She shivered at the memory.

Rachel got the gist of all the actions earlier on. The music, taking the shirt off (obviously a ploy to try and woo her with his sculpted body. Not gonna happen.), the gyrations..but not everything can be as easily explained.

_I don't get it. I say no, he says "It's cool"? _She could recall the times back when they were dating (for like, a milisecond) and everytime she moved his wandering hands, he'd get all uppity. This was different. He didn't even kiss her or ask to. Did he even want to? It seemed like he did for a second. Maybe he wanted to. Maybe not. Maybe she was over analyzing the whole thing. If she learned anything from her brief relationships it was that words could mean anything. "Yes" could very well mean "No" and "I will never hurt you" could definetly mean "It would bring me joy to see you suffer". I mean, he totally wasn't making the moves on Rachel, right?

Right?

Glaring down and the wrinkled mess of a shirt, she made a guttural groan and dropped in onto the floor.

_Great. Now I will have to call him and give this back to him which is just going to be a window for awkward conversation. My life._

What Rachel did not know was that Puck left more than just clothing and memories behind..

**In case you were wondering, the song is called "Good Girls Go Bad" by Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester. and for some whacked out reason, I always thought it would be pure magic if they did this song on Glee to perfectly describe the two. Also, making actions during a song..Difficult stuff. **

**Now, if you liked my story feel free to favorite and/or review. I'm glad for the following I have created thus far and hope to gain some devoted ones as well. Like I have said, this one is gonna be a mountain of work on my part. There are questions that will be awnsered throughout the story. I like to leave people in suspense a bit. (sorry!)**


	7. Thorns in My Side

_This isnt going to work_.

_I'm just going to have to tell my mom we broke up. I shouldve never lied in the first place. This was a mistake...But mom..I've never seen her as happy as I saw her that day. _

_Fuck._

It had been 3 whole days since that visit to Rachel Berry's home. He kept playing it over and over in his head. He analyzed every little detail. Maybe he could've not been so forward. Maybe he was not forward enough. Maybe he should have chosen a different song. Would it have been smarter to just go along with what she suggested? After all that work, she still got caught up in thinking about him. Jesse St. Prick, her ex-flame. She still wasn't over him. I guess it makes sense. He was her first, after all..

_Ugh.._

But why did it bother him? Rachel wasn't anyone important. I mean, she's the only Jewish girl he knows in town. That's the only reason he called her in the first place. If there had been others. If there had been just one other Jewish girl, he would've found her. In a heartbeat. He kept opening up his little black book of sexy ladies. Flipped through every page. Not one. Not one authentic Jewish girl in this town. None but Rachel Berry.

Maybe he should call her. It has been awhile.

_No, _ he thought _Puck refuses to chase a girl who is obviously not interested in him. _

She's apparently got too much baggage for a relationship. Even a fake one.

A tiny rap on the door suddenly came. He jumped, though he'd never admit it.

"Come in."

It was his mother she was dressed in dark wash jeans pair with old grass-stained sneakers and a plum loose fitting top.

"Someone came to see you, dear."

He nodded solemly, wondering who it could be. The door to the front of the house was wide open. The sunlight shining through was spotted as it pierced through the trees. As he wandered outside, he noticed a small white sedan. Fairly new but nothing fancy. The sun rays attacked his eyes and made the shapes of people hazy and golden. His mother handed off a box to someone. Temporarily blocking the light, he finally recognized who had come.

"Quinn? I thought you had already gotten all of your things."

"Your mom had some stuff packed away in the back room." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Oh." Puck put a hand above his eyes to shield the rays. She was wearing a peach colored empire waist blouse. It was loose fitting and breathed well for the summer. Even when she's not pregant, that's the kind of clothing she likes to wear. Mrs. Puckerman went inside. Probably to give the two some alone time.

"I came over the other day and your mom said you weren't home." She approached him and probed. There was a look in her eyes as if that was just a rephrase of an ever bigger question she refused to ask.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I was at Rachel's" He said instictively.

Quinn's face became as hard as stone.

"Rachel? You're going out with Rachel? Are you serious?" Puck could swear he saw a vein pop out of her neck.

"Damn it! My mom told you?" He groaned. This wasn't happening. Just when he was contemplating the abandonment of the story, a wrench had been thrown in.

Fabray's hair was pulled back into a bun. No doubt to keep sweat from sticking hair to the back of her neck. This, however, didn't keep little tendrils of her blonde mane from clinging there, anyway.

"Why didn't I know about this?"

Puck crossed his arms in defiance. " It's only just happened..Recently." He felt the pressure of lies building up. Hoping to get some of the fire away from him, he prodded back, "Besides, why is it any of your concern? You never told me what was going on with my own child let alone make a choice about her future."

Quinn looked away, ridden with guilt.

" You made the choice to give up Beth. Alone. So, we have nothing else we need to talk about." He concluded.

She nodded in agreement after a moment of stillness. Clasping her hands together, she conceded.

"Fine."

Puck let out of breath of relief. Finally, she has not been stubborn enough to insist she's right.

The sound of the front door clicked closed. His mom came out to give her a garbage bag filled with some clothes she left behind. Gave her a kiss on the cheek, and said her goodbyes. Quinn began walking back to the car and stopped just before grabbing the door.

"But, I don't believe for a second that the two of you will last."

_What is it with women always wanting to be right? Fucking annoying._

As the small vehicle drove off, she waved at him. He wondered if the smile was geniune or just a facade to her disgust.

_Boy Puckerman, you know how to pick them_. He thought.

Now what could he do? He practically confirmed that he and Rachel had something going on. Now, she's gonna tell everyone. First Mercedes, then Finn. Sooner or later, Noah Puckerman will have to make this concrete. That only means one thing. He can't back out.

Looks like he's going to have to make a call.


End file.
